Police Scotland yet again showing they're not fit for purpose:
"Police failed to investigate a car crash reported to them for three days which saw the driver die and his passenger lain critically injured"
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Cycling News
Victims left for three days after car crash reported
(17 posts)-
Posted 10 years ago #
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When I read the headline I assumed you meant that the police took 3 days to go round to their house to take a statement. Just staggering.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I suspect not responding to reports immediately happens all the time, just that usually it doesn't have (possible) fatal consequences (nothing in the report suggests the poor guy died while waiting or would have survived if responded to immediately, though presumably the lady involved is in a worse situation than she would have been).
There are a few very odd elements to this. Someone must have seen it happen and so called the police. Personally if I saw something like this I'd call the ambulance service, but I'd probably (definitely?) stop as well so there was someone on the scene for the emergency services. Did someone just drive on and call from their car?
Whatever the full story, it's desperately sad.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Did someone just drive on and call from their car?
If they were on the other side of the road, they wouldn't have had a choice with it being a motorway. They probably and not unreasonably, assumed the police would attend.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I was thinking that, and definitely not unreasonable to expect the police would attend. Personally (i think) I'd still be off at the next exit, and back up the other side, especially if it was possible no-one else had seen it. Though I guess don't know the circumstances.
Posted 10 years ago # -
WC: "Someone must have seen it happen and so called the police." Not necessarily - It could be that someone saw the damage to the verge and thought it worth reporting to the Police to get it checked out. Maybe they saw a glimpse of the car down in the trees and thought it had happened a while ago but phoned in just in case.
I know of a case where a driver crashed and died but her car couldn't be seen by those driving past (including me and several police officers - even those sent to find it missed it first time). I have stopped and checked out wrecks other times but would be probably leave stopping on a fast/busy motorway to those with flashing beacons on their vehicles.Posted 10 years ago # -
In that situation then yes, absolutely, I can understand not stopping. But if you actually saw the wreck take place (noting, as you rightly say, and I hadn't considered, that someone may not have seen it actually happen - again, I guess it's pointless contemplating without knowing more of the facts).
But as a basic principle if I saw the incident happen, then I'd stop, or turn around and go back.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Tragic. Somehow reminds me of this novel I read back in the 1970s:
Posted 10 years ago # -
From what I've heard at work through some colleagues who have relatives in the Police, the rather sensationalised and finger-pointing media reporting of this might not all be what it seems. Yes, the Police didn't find the vehicle, but that doesn't mean they ignored the report and based on the details reported and the way the crashed vehicle was located it's quite possible they may have done what you'd reasonably expect they could.
Either way it's a tragic set of circumstances.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I went past the crash site on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, while the lady was in the car. That is a chilling thought.
Even knowing that the event took place, it isn't at all easy to spot the traces from the motorway. There's bark off a trunk and a small snapped pine tree.
Something very odd must have happened for the car to end up where it did, and for it not to have been seen. It wasn't, as I had expected, in the triangular wooded 'island' on the south side of the junction, but in a field on the north side.
The whole thing is quite horrible, and I'd like to hug the poor citizen who called it in the first time. They must feel awful.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Unfortunately the woman has now died too :(
http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/woman-discovered-in-crashed-car-near-m9-dies-1-3828460Posted 10 years ago # -
Two people have died and yet again the Scotsman have left the comments open so anyone can leave sick and inappropriate comments.
Posted 10 years ago # -
The man who made the initial call to report a car that had crashed off the M9 near Stirling has told BBC News he feels guilty for not following it up.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-33503587Posted 10 years ago # -
A grim story all-in-all, but I can't help but wonder why the first caller chose to report it to non-emergency 101 unless he somehow felt that it had already been reported.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Because he didn't see any crash, he just noticed an apparently abandoned car lying off the motorway. I expect the reason that it took 3 days before anyone else reported it is that most people wouldn't even report that sort of thing at all.
I feel really sorry for him. he did the right thing and now finds himself being questioned for "hours" by the police like he is some sort of criminal. As well as being judged by a lot of people.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Hands up, I was one who judged (in my defence (though it's not much of a defence) I did say if someone saw the car actually leaving the road, the incident actually happening, I'd have done more than call 101). To report a car that was apparently abandoned and off the road - yep, absolutely, suspect 99.999% of people (me included) would not have bothered to call.
Glad to see comments no longer allowed on the story on the EEN, I'd emailed, presume quite a few others will have done.
Interesting that the police question him for hours, when really it's the police that didn't respond (though in the grand scheme of things, responding to an apparently abandoned car probably ranks quite low, and I suspect the media would lay into them if some great crime was perpetrated while they were checking out a glut of empty abandoned cars).
Posted 10 years ago # -
@Min I suppose so, although I'm trying to imagine what I would have done in a similar situation. I haven't driven for much of my life so can't really think of ever having seen anything along these lines. The police questioning sounds massively disproportionate in any case, and I do certainly feel sorry for him given how it's turned out.
Posted 10 years ago #
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